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NOAO Newsletter - SCOPE - June 1998 - Number 54
As the completion of the Gemini Telescopes draws near, the SCOPE office at
NOAO is busy preparing for an increase in the number of telescope proposals
when those new facilities begin science operations. We want to be sure that
every proposal submitted for Gemini, KPNO, CTIO, or any of the other
facilities available through NOAO receives a fair and thorough hearing
before the Telescope Allocation Committee, and we want to process proposals
with speed and efficiency. To achieve these goals the SCOPE staff has been
revising and simplifying procedures and developing new tools. Here's what
happens to your electronic proposal after it arrives at NOAO.
The proposal is automatically received and logged on the NOAO proposal
server, and an automated e-mail reply (to the sending e-mail address) is
sent out with the assigned proposal number and instructions for submitting
figures. If it is a WIYN proposal, the computer checks to be sure a target
table is included. If it is a thesis program or if the PI is a graduate
student, the investigator is alerted to provide a supporting letter
submitted by the student's advisor.
If it is a CTIO proposal, the LaTeX and figure files are copied to a
special directory that is mirrored to La Serena, where CTIO proposals are
processed separately. The procedures are similar to those described below
for KPNO proposals.
The proposal is automatically LaTex'ed and then printed by Kristen
Thomson. During the printing process, proposal information is extracted and
parsed, and an ASCII text file is created for import into the ALPS, an MS
Access database written by Christa Brown. Proposals with LaTeX errors or
figure problems are diverted to Dave Bell or Jeannette Barnes. If a proposal
cannot be fixed (most can be) e-mail is sent to the investigator asking him
or her to re-send the needed files.
Once a proposal is printed successfully (no LaTeX or figure problems), the
proposal information is imported into the ALPS database. Kristen reviews the
information for accuracy, and address information is matched with the master
address file. The requested telescopes, instruments, lunar phase, and
scheduling ranges are also reviewed and confirmed.
Caty Pilachowski reviews the printed proposal to catch any remaining
figure, format, or LaTeX problems before it is copied for distribution to
the TAC.
Dave De Young oversees the assignment of proposals to each TAC
(investigator choices are rarely revised) and the assignment of a lead
reviewer for each proposal.
Once the proposal information is finalized, Kristen prints TAC review
lists and forms using the ALPS database and sends them, along with a big
stack of proposals, to our hard-working TAC volunteers!
Kristen Thomson, Jeannette Barnes, Dave Bell,
Christa Brown, Caty
Pilachowski, Dave De Young
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